Mating Ritual

Ryan Marshall Lawhon fronts the Los Angeles-based dance-rock project Mating Ritual. He previously formed half of the synth-rock duo Pacific Air with his brother Taylor. The siblings suspended that act in 2014 when Taylor chose to resume his education. Lawhon then launched his solo outlet, merging upbeat hand-clap arena rock with synth melodies rooted in the 1990s electronic and new age recordings that shaped his youth, such as those by Laurie Anderson, Ray Lynch, and Enya. He offsets those atmospheric textures with the drive of his emo and post-punk touchstones. His debut single, “Toxins,” surfaced in 2015 and delivered a hook-laden sound that recalled The Naked & Famous, Miike Snow, and Passion Pit. Further singles followed that year: “Game,” “Moonlight,” and “Hum Hum.” For his first EP, Lawhon reunited with Taylor while adding drummer Rob Humphries and singer Lizzy Land. The resulting four-song self-titled Mating Ritual appeared in early 2016. Layering additional glam-rock drive onto the existing shimmery electronics, he gave “I Can’t Dance” extra muscle and steered “Don’t Know Your Name” toward ’80s new wave. Early the following year he issued the singles “Thief,” “Second Hand,” and “Drunk” ahead of his debut album, How You Gonna Stop It?, which arrived that June.